


remember me when i'm reborn

by wastelandyke



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Bruce Wayne is a Good Dad, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Resurrection, anyway, but i will never be over it, no editing we die like men, obviously, the character death is undone, this idea is so overdone, this is the hill i will die on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 05:07:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19125205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wastelandyke/pseuds/wastelandyke
Summary: "He couldn't be sure that this wasn't a dream, although finding Jason living on the streets, not quite fully there, was a nightmare in and of itself. He had a vague awareness that he should be being more wary of the situation, that there were any number of reasons to explain this, and this being his Jason here in front of him, alive and well, or at least mostly well, was one of the less likely explanations."Or, Bruce finds Jason after his resurrection.





	remember me when i'm reborn

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second fic. I just needed to get it out of my head so like, read it if you want I guess, it's not very good tho :/

It was unusually warm for autumn in Gotham. The bite of the air was replaced with a heat that clung to everything it touched. It only exacerbated the perennial stench. Batman was patrolling alone, Nightwing in Bludhaven, Batgirl studying for a test, Robin sick with the flu. He had forgotten what it felt like to patrol alone, and as much as he often wished his partners would listen to him more, he didn't miss patrolling alone. It was too quiet without someone else.

It didn't help that little had happened that night. He stopped a few muggings, a would-be convenience store robbery, a street fight. So, nothing big, really, quiet even for a quiet night, and it put him on edge.

The chronic sirens that filled the city were the only noise that Batman could hear, until shouts erupted from an alley a few buildings a head of him. He grappled over silently, surveilling what was happening. Seven men were shouting at each other, some more aggressively than others. A young teenager, no more than sixteen, seemed to be the epicentre of the conflict, and a few of the men tried to get between the boy and the other men.

"Back off, Matt, he's just a kid," one of the men said to who looked to be the leader of the group, stepping in front of the boy as he said it. He was in his late thirties, and his accent screamed out of town. It was too refined to be a Gotham accent, sounding more like Keystone or Coast. He was obviously trying to mollify the man, but his efforts seemed to work oppositely. 

"A kid who's playing in our turf," Matt, presumably, ground out. He sounded like he was in his forties, and he wore a hat that barely hid his receding hair. He was fairly big, although his mass was made of less muscle than he'd probaby like.

"I don't think he understands us, acting all tough on him is just gonna freak him out," a different man said. Batman thought he put too much confidence in "Matt", that that would be something that would stop him.

"Good." Matt started walking towards the kid again, unironically cracking his knuckles, proving Batman right. That was enough for him. He swooped down, landing behind the men. They turned around.

One of the men who hadn't spoken before was the one to address him. "Hey look man, we don't want no trouble." His voice didn't crack, but the pitch raised as he continued, almost making it sound like a question. 

Three of the men, including Matt, didn't wait long enough to here his reply, turning on their heels immediately. The one who spoke did similar when he said, "then leave," his voice more gravelly than usual.

One person remained. He was younger than the others, not as young as the kid though, who hadn't moved an inch.

"I just- I saw what was happening, I swear, I'm, I'm not involved with those, um, guys," he started, in a way that wasn't very believable, "yeah, well- I wanted to- to let you know that there's something up with the kid, he don't take in much. I've seen him, like, around, though, he's- uh, he's good, he shares with the other kids. Uh, yeah, that's- that's all."

The man looked more scared the more he spoke, and the second he finished, he practically sprinted out of the alley.

Batman stared after him for a moment, before turning his attention to the kid. The kid who was looking at him with wide, undaunted eyes, that were slightly unfocused. Eyes that were a blue he'd looked into a thousand times.

"B?" his son asked him, his voice rough from disuse. He sounded so unsure of himself. He wasn't scared of Batman, but he was worried.

"Jay," Bruce choked out, his voice thick. He wished he could say more, let Jason know how _sorry_ he was, how much he missed him. To make sure he knew how much he loved him. He worried every single day that Jason didnt know. He assumed, at the time, that _of_ _course_ Jason knew, how could he not. Bruce was never one to verbalise his affections, thinking that his actions made up for it. Now, his chest ached at the thought that Jason could have any doubt of his love. And yet, all he could do was say Jason's name, barely above a whisper. 

He had dreamt of Jason returning too many times to count. More often than not his dreams morphed into nightmares, where Jason didn't forgive him. He never blamed him though, how could he. He couldn't forgive _himself_.

He couldn't be sure that this wasn't a dream, although finding Jason living on the streets, not quite fully there, was a nightmare in and of itself. He had a vague awareness that he should be being more wary of the situation, that there were any number of reasons to explain this, and this being his Jason here in front of him, alive and well, or at least mostly well, was one of the less likely explanations.

That could wait until later though.

For now, he was happy accepting this miracle.

And it was a miracle, when Jason smiled at him, and collapsed into his chest. Bruce wrapped his arms around him gently, afraid his hands would pass right through. They didn't. He sank to the ground, Jason in his arms. He could feel wetness under his cowl, and felt Jason shuddering beneath him.

He knew it was gentle sobs causing it, but he wrapped the cape around him anyway, just in case he was cold, the way he used to when he was Robin, when it rained. There was so much he needed to say, so many calls he needed to make, so many things he needed to arrange, but that all could wait too.

Right in that moment, things were okay, more okay than they'd been in a while.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Shrike by Hozier, a song that I for some reason associate with Jason and Bruce.


End file.
